Backup tape structures still need flexible resources

Backup tape structures still need flexible resources

By Michael

February 27, 2013

In the old days, it may have been sufficient to store every file in a tape infrastructure that allowed for complete tape tracking and document management in a closed system. Today, though, organizations are constantly diversifying their resources and tools, adding mobile devices and cloud computing to corporate functions. In light of this momentum, companies need to enhance their security and flexibility features so that existing hard disk management tools are compatible with new enterprise IT solutions.

Tracking new trends
There are a growing number of companies moving toward virtualized, cloud and other kinds of faster, lighter storage. Clickz commented that these firms don’t always strategize these moves before committing to them, resulting in a disconnect between backup tape management, file tracking and overall data governance. Ensuring that existing files are in good shape should be the first step, the source stated, and then companies need to go a step further in making certain that these standards are still intact after migration. Otherwise, it’s easy to cause a compliance or security error.

The source added that it’s integral to the overall protection of corporate files, wherever they reside, to monitor the kinds of threats that exist in the new data landscape. In other words, if a company wants to deploy virtualization, checking out the kinds of malware or Trojans frequently targeting these tools should be a primary part of eDiscovery compliance and overall protection.

Safeguarding valuable assets from within
“A breach of critical information can occur just as easily from a backup file as it can from the production database,” said Ken Pickering of Core Security. “So many people invest heavily into ruggedizing a database and spend little time tracking where their backup data goes.”

Dark Reading wrote that one of the classic pitfalls of firms moving too aggressively toward the cloud is losing sight of where and how files are being stored. Without a clear idea of what these cloud resources do, governance and compliance are nearly impossible to uphold. In order to gain better flexibility, therefore, more companies may turn to virtualization, which allows them to maintain more control over how, where and who stores their assets. If a company catches itself working with a tool it knows to be less than perfect, it’s time to overhaul that solution before continuity and corporate security of backup tapes and other key infrastructure come into question.